Out & About

McCartney Showcases Unbridled Talent, Charm and Stamina in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH -- It had been a long time coming, but Paul McCartney finally did get back to Pittsburgh this week to treat eager fans packed into a sold-out PPG Paints Arena to a blockbuster show Tuesday night.

Over 11 years had passed since the living rock 'n' roll icon's last visit to the arena -- a venue that he himself christened back in 2010 with two sold-out concerts on back-to-back nights serving as the arena's first ever events. He was only 68 years old way back then -- yet already eligible for retirement with full benefits in the U.S.

But Sir Paul has never given any indication that he's ready to step away from the stage and take it easy in the wake of a full life and legendary career. In fact, he's never had a "farewell" tour like so many other rock acts -- most of which are far younger than him -- have.

McCartney's current Got Back Tour has been traversing the long and winding road across the globe since 2022. With upcoming stops in only four more U.S. cities this month, the tour is scheduled to wrap up before Thanksgiving ... with no more dates slated for the future.

An unspoken assumption loomed over the Pittsburgh crowd that this very well may be McCartney's last area show. With that in mind, a buzz of anticipation among those inside the arena leading up to curtain time was palpable. Demand for tickets to the show was off the charts, and fans lucky enough to secure their spot in the sold-out arena were more than ready to take part in what could potentially be the former Beatle's swan song in the Steel City.

With PPG Paints Arena brimming with excitement, a who's who of familiar Pittsburgh-area faces could be spotted among the thousands of fellow fans in the crowd. From musician Scott Blasey of The Clarks to artist Jim Pollock to king Penguin himself Mario Lemieux, everyone filed in with a contagious smile and a pep in their step.

McCartney took the stage at 8:15 p.m. and set sail on what would end up being a brow-raising, 35-song set that took fans on an epic journey through more than six decades of music. Kicking off with the early Beatles classic "Help!" and with his iconic left-handed Hofner 500/1 violin bass in hand, McCartney came to deliver nearly three hours of hits, deep tracks and first-hand stories between songs as could be told only by the man himself.

The set offered a great balance of songs from The Beatles, Wings and McCartney's solo career. With a seemingly endless catalog of songs from which to choose, Sir Paul mixed up a number of crowd favorites that have been tour staples over the past couple of decades and stirred in other hits and some rare gems to keep each trek unique and different for returning fans who have caught previous outings.

Solo hit "Coming Up" was followed by "Got to Get You Into My Life" and "Drive My Car" from The Beatles. McCartney was like the Energizer Bunny on stage, dancing a little jig between most songs as the crowd roared with applause. He also kept busy switching instruments after every few songs -- playing everything from bass to guitar, mandolin, ukulele, grand piano and even an organ that was rolled out front with an exterior that was actually an LED video screen wired into the eye-popping stage production's visuals.

McCartney even busted out some lead guitar licks on gems like Wings' "Let Me Roll It," complete with a few riffs from Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady" woven into it. He also told the story of the first time he ever saw Hendrix play at a night club in London back in the '60s.

The crowd howled when McCartney took his jacket off a few songs into the show, prompting him to give a side-eyed look as if to indicate that this was not some type of a strip tease. "I can assure you, that's the one and only wardrobe change of the evening," he joked.

One unique element of the Got Back Tour was the addition of some new and stunning visuals which included accompanying videos that truly complimented the storytelling aspects of certain songs. Images of flowers blooming through the rubble of broken cities appeared while the band played The Beatles' "Getting Better." During "Let It Be," the video screens showed waves of candle-lit Chinese paper lanterns floating by.

McCartney dedicated "My Valentine" to his wife, Nancy, who he noted was in the crowd that night. He also took time to pay homage to his fellow Beatles bandmates on several occasions during the show. Eyes welled up as the band performed "Now and Then," with the video of today's McCartney and Ringo Starr shown collaborating alongside John Lennon, George Harrison and even their younger selves through archived studio footage. Known as "the last Beatles song," "Now and Then" was based on an unfinished Lennon composition from 1977 that Paul and Ringo completed and released in 2023, using abandoned guitar tracks that Harrison had recorded in 1995.

The "young lads from Liverpool" got together and decided to form a band, and "we did OK," McCartney noted. He said the first song they ever recorded in a little studio was "In Spite of All the Danger" as The Quarrymen, before the group evolved into The Beatles. The first song the Fab Four recorded with the great producer George Martin at Abbey Road Studios was "Love Me Do." Fans got both numbers Tuesday night during McCartney's curated trip through rock history.

Backed by his fantastic long-time band of Wix Wickens on keyboards, Rusty Anderson on guitar, Brian Ray on guitar and bass and the ever animated Abe Laboriel Jr. on drums, McCartney marched through solo hits like "Maybe I'm Amazed" and Wings favorites like "Let 'Em In," "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five," "Jet," "Band on the Run" and a climactic "Live and Let Die," highlighted with an onslaught of pyrotechnics. On several songs, the band was accompanied by the Hot City Horns --three guys who were not only great players but also energetic dancers with some wild, synchronized moves.

A barrage of Beatles hits in the set included "Lady Madonna," "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," and "Get Back." Stand-out moments among the many highlights included a jaw-dropping rendition of "Blackbird," with McCartney standing solo on a rising portion of the stage that revealed a video image of a blackbird in a cage on the huge platform beneath him that lifted him high into the air.

"Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" brought out a shower of psychedelic lasers, followed by a story about how they had basically lifted the lyrics of the song from an old circus poster that used to hang on Lennon's wall.

McCartney's tribute to Harrison started with a ukulele. "This is a very special one -- it was given to me by George," he said, launching into a rendition of Harrison's "Something" before the band kicked in to join him.

The main set ended with the epic sing-along "Hey Jude," with every voice in the house rising to the rafters at the end.

Each band member returned for the encore waving a flag -- appropriately for Veterans Day in the U.S., McCartney carried an American flag. Oddly, Laboriel came out carrying not a flag, but a beer instead -- prompting plenty of fans to salute nonetheless.

Thanks to more video magic, McCartney kicked off the all-Beatles encore with a virtual duet with Lennon for "I've Got a Feeling." The encore continued with the reprise of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and a rousing, strobe-light assault of "Helter Skelter." The show came to a close in traditional fashion with the suite of "Golden Slumbers," "Carry That Weight" (with McCartney, Anderson and Ray trading lead licks on guitars) and "The End."

At 83 years of age, McCartney's voice on a number of tunes showed signs of waning strength compared to the powerhouse wails from his younger days. Despite an occasionally noticeable thinning of vocal strength, the performance of each and every song was undeniably great, and the rock icon's stamina through the nearly three-hour show was unbelievable. It would be impressive for anyone decades younger to do the same with such grace and total command of the room.

If this was indeed McCartney's final gig in Pittsburgh, he certainly went out with a bang. But he refused to frame it as a final goodbye.

"There comes a time when we've got to go home. It's about the same time as when you're all going to go home," he joked midway through the lengthy encore.

Before showering the crowd with an explosion of red, white and blue confetti at the very end of the night, McCartney offered one final message.

"Thank you so much, and all that remains to be said is ... we'll see you next time."

Set List – Paul McCartney – PPG Paints Arena – Pittsburgh

November 11, 2025

Help!

Coming Up

Got to Get You Into My Life

Drive My Car

Letting Go

Come On to Me

Let Me Roll It

Getting Better

Let ‘Em In

My Valentine

Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five

Maybe I’m Amazed

I’ve Just Seen a Face

In Spike of All the Danger

Love Me Do

Dance Tonight

Blackbird

Here Today

Now and Then

Lady Madonna

Jet

Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!

Something

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

Band on the Run

Get Back

Let It Be

Live and Let Die

Hey Jude

Encore:

I’ve Got a Feeling

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)

Helter Skelter

Golden Slumbers

Carry That Weight

The End

(no opener)

(start time: 8:15 p.m., end time 10:55 p.m.)